Chapter 1286 Seeking truth from facts (Additional update 3)
On the 15th day of April in the fifth year of Jianji, there were still two days before the queen's car arrived at Linshuo Palace.
After Shao Shude finished watching the imperial meeting in Jintai Hall and all the officials dismissed, he went to Wenshan Hall and ordered his secretary to set up a calligraphy and painting bureau, and summoned Zhang Suqing and Yang Ningshi for questioning.
The Secretariat Province has two major organizations: the Publishing House and the Taishi Bureau, and the Calligraphy and Painting Bureau is the third.
In the Tang Dynasty, although there were many famous paintings handed down from generation to generation, the imperial court did not have a specialized painting institution. Painters mostly worked in Jixian Academy, Hongwen Academy, Hanlin Academy, History Museum and other institutions. These institutions paid them salaries, but they did not
You must be engaged in the work of these institutions, and overall it is quite confusing.
The newly established calligraphy and painting bureau of the Secretariat Ministry is dedicated to training painters and calligraphers—even sculptors.
The largest official in the calligraphy and painting bureau is called Calligrapher and Painter. There are two members from the fifth rank, and Zhang Suqing is one of them.
"Zhang Qing, I saw those paintings of yours, and I would like to ask you, do they resemble what people originally looked like?" Shao Shude asked, pointing to a series of paintings he painted since the Northern Patrol.
These paintings include his own person, officials, warriors, common people, chariots, war horses, weapons, flags, cities, etc., all-inclusive, but - the paintings don't look like it!
"Look at the Minister Chen in the painting, does he look the same as him in person?"
"This knight is painted so big in person, but the horse is so small. Does it look like him?"
"The flags and drums are far from the real thing. What is the painting?"
Shao Shude asked several questions in succession.
The core reason is that the portraits of the characters are seriously distorted, the proportions of various things in the paintings are uncoordinated, and they lack a concave and convex three-dimensional sense. They are all flat. The same happened to the painters recruited in the early years. Shao Shude endured it for a long time.
He even looked at the collected painting "Pictures of Emperors" by Yan Liben. The portraits of the thirteen emperors were seriously distorted and did not look like real people.
In his previous life, he had seen the portrait of Niu Gulu from the Qing Dynasty collected by the Palace Museum, and the difference between it and the one-inch photo was not very big.
In terms of realism, the two are not on the same level at all.
"Your Majesty, when it comes to painting, you should pay more attention to artistic conception than actual writing. What I want to express in this painting is the emperor's fear and power..." Zhang Suqing felt uncomfortable with the sage's questioning, but did not dare to get angry, so she could only explain.
"It's not real, and it doesn't look majestic." Shao Shude said: "Zhang Qing, some of your ideas should be changed. I know that the ability to draw people in the Han and Jin Dynasties was not as good as it is now, but since there has been progress, why not go further?
Study hard on realistic painting techniques. I am a martial artist and don’t understand ethereal things, so I just want to see realistic things."
"I obey the decree." Zhang Suqing responded.
"By the way." Shao Shude said again: "You can go to the Mathematics Department of the Imperial College and ask them what the proportions are. The proportions of people, horses, chariots, flags, equipment, and cities must be coordinated. When drawing people, you must
It’s three-dimensional—”
"Your Majesty, what is three-dimensionality?" Zhang Suqing asked.
Shao Shude thought for a moment and said, "Can you draw the wrinkles on my dragon robe?"
"I can do that," Zhang Suqing said.
"But it's not like it. I've seen many paintings and there are indeed wrinkles on the clothes, but it's not like it at all and it's not real." Shao Shude said: "You take a robe and put it in the sun and see how the shadows and light change.
Income."
After saying that, Shao Shude stood up and said: "I don't care how the previous dynasty painted, but the new dynasty has a new atmosphere. My request is not to pursue illusory artistic conception, but to be down-to-earth and paint more realistically and realistically. Far and near, three-dimensional,
If you think about light and shadow, concave and convex, and lines carefully, you may be able to create a new genre."
As he spoke, he walked up to a stone sculpture and asked, "Zhang Qing, Yang Qing, do you think this stone warrior statue looks like a real person?"
Neither of them dared to speak.
"I don't think they look alike at all!" Shao Shude said mercilessly.
The proportions of the facial features are inconsistent, rather exaggerated, and do not look like real people. This is a common problem in sculptures at this time, and they do not pay attention to realism.
In his opinion, the paintings of maids and sculptures of warriors in Wang Chuzhi's tomb were rather distorted and in the style of a villain's calligraphy.
"Your Majesty, they have been carved like this since ancient times." Yang Ningshi hesitated for a while and defended.
"Really?" Shao Shude asked.
"It's true." Yang Ningshi said with certainty, "Your Majesty might as well send people to visit the ancient sites, and you will know the truth and falsehood at a glance."
Shao Shude was speechless.
For a moment, he wanted to order the terracotta warriors to be dug out to show you what realism is.
But he didn't dare after all. He dug it out at this time and had no ability to keep it properly. Once it was destroyed in the war, he would be a national sinner.
But he still couldn't figure it out. The pottery figurines of the Qin Dynasty were so realistic and had been developed for hundreds of years in later generations. Why did they become more and more crooked? In the direction of exaggeration?
In terms of human nature, shouldn’t everyone start by copying nature and pursue authenticity?
"I am a martial artist, and I have only one request: to seek truth from facts." Shao Shude said: "All the purposes of this dynasty start from seeking truth from facts. People are what they are. Even if you paint for me, there is no need to modify it. There are small lines on the corners of my mouth.
Why did the artist hide the scar when he painted it? There is no need. Remember, seek truth from facts. When painting, sculpting, dressing, being a person, serving as an official, etc., everything should be based on seeking truth from facts, and do not hide it. Human nature,
I know a little bit about it. Are the warriors fighting for me a sign of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism? I have married them with kindness, raised them with money and food, and lured them with wealth, so I fight bravely. Is it really for the sake of righteousness?"
"Your Majesty, justice still needs to be upheld," Yang Ningshi admonished.
"I'm not stupid, of course I know this." Shao Shude smiled angrily and said: "You are a smart man, and I don't need to talk in circles. Righteousness can make people die generously, make people loyal, and the court can spend a lot less.
Money. This is also about seeking truth from facts, of course. What I ask for is that you seek truth from facts as a person and as an official. Don't use mysterious and mysterious things to deceive people, simplify everything and go straight to the source. Don't talk empty words.
, cliché, don’t sit back and talk, be more pragmatic. Just like doing business, a businessman pursues profits, this is seeking truth from facts, there is nothing to be embarrassed about, human nature is like this. And beauties——"
Shao Shude casually pulled over the fan-holder, Mr. Abu Si, and said, "Everyone loves beauty, why bother to cover it up with a wide robe and big sleeves?"
Abel's body is still wearing a skirt, but the single skirt on the upper body has been cut down and becomes extremely close-fitting. Just like Xiao Wanniang who danced that day, it has uneven contours and shapes the beauty of the human body.
In terms of tightness, it is somewhat similar to the later Western court attire. However, there are no colorful laces on the cuffs, and there are no complicated pleats on the skirt. Everything is still the element of Tang suit.
The boldness and sexiness of clothing in the Tang Dynasty far surpassed that of later generations. Underskirts had round collars, sweetheart collars, etc. During the prosperous age of the Kaiyuan Dynasty, the trend of topless breasts was prevalent. Not only in the palace, but also in the homes of nobles and wealthy merchants.
, the same is true. Half of the chest is exposed. This can be seen from the descriptions of Tang Dynasty poems. There are countless descriptions of waist, wrists and chest.
But in later generations, these were simply unimaginable. Even prostitutes in brothels did not dare to expose so much of their bodies, and the overall atmosphere became increasingly conservative. If scholars from the Ming and Qing Dynasties came to take a look, they would see these women's dressing styles full of sexy and desire elements.
, I would probably call it "a country of beasts".
Shao Shude sometimes feels confused when he thinks about it. Is this really a nation?
"That's all." Shao Shude said: "I know that the damage caused by the Anshi Rebellion is extremely far-reaching. The entire Central Plains and Han Dynasty are becoming increasingly conservative. Being too conservative is arrogance. But fortunately, it won't last long, and there is still hope. I don't want to say more.
, I just hope that you will seek truth from facts. The Long family is very good at learning horses, raising horses, and training horses. No one in the Central Plains can match them. If someone is good at it, they must admit it and learn from it. They cannot discriminate or disdain because the Long family is a red-haired barbarian.
At a glance, the Central Plains dynasty is not the best in everything. I think there are many who are not as good as the barbarians. There is no country in this world that can be the first in everything. It is normal to have strengths and weaknesses. Don’t talk about your shortcomings.
Jumping ahead, seeking truth from facts, and being inclusive is the way to go.”
Zhang Suqing and Yang Ningshi could only say yes repeatedly.
I thought the saint was just dissatisfied with the painting.
Now it seems that the painting is just a pretext, just like the slim-fitting skirt that was modified on the body of Arbus, the saint's thoughts are quite complicated.
Does it discriminate against Tibetan people? He doesn't think so.
But compared to before the Anshi Rebellion? It's still a little bit better.
What if another barbarian Khan rises in the north and makes the Central Plains disgraced? What will happen when the Han people have a dull face and are not very confident? Can they seek comfort through discrimination and scolding the barbarians?
What if we go one step further and the Hu people have a large number of soldiers and annex half of the Central Plains? The Han people are even less confident. What will happen at this time? They don't even dare to discriminate or criticize, so they are torturing their own people?
The most terrifying situation is that Lu Chen from China has also arrived. What will happen now? No spirit left, and all the people will be slaves?
Isn’t this a step-by-step deterioration?
Seek truth from facts and be inclusive...
Yang Ningshi and Zhang Suqing left slowly under the guidance of the palace officials.
Shao Shude sat back in his chair and thought silently.
In the rest of his life, he would re-establish the supremacy of the Central Plains militarily by attacking the Khitan, Bohai, Uighur, Tatar and other tribes and khanates.
Then, through seeking truth from facts and an inclusive attitude, we can absorb the strengths of the Tibetan people and turn them into our own use.
With the population, economic and social development level of the Central Plains, we will definitely be able to carry forward these absorbed things, introduce the old and bring out the new, and then export them in reverse, and finally establish the supreme status of the Central Plains in culture.
Moreover, this kind of culture is not closed. Instead, it adopts a pragmatic attitude and continuously absorbs excellent foreign cultures for its own use and turns it into its own national tradition. Culture needs to be exchanged, and a closed culture can only be a backwater.
The pond eventually fell into decay.
The sores caused by the Anshi Rebellion have not worsened yet and may be slowly eliminated.
Turning the tide of war is no easier than winning a military victory.